This thesis is dedicated to illustrating the unique challenges of staging works by the playwright Tennessee Williams, and to making suggestions on how to avoid common pitfalls in production, performance, and direction of his plays. It uses evidence from the playwright’s various biographical works as well as insight and conjecture from the author’s experience to illuminate these challenges and help the reader to avoid hackneyed or ineffective staging practices. It touches on the effect of film adaptations on stage performances; the typical portrayal of American Southern characters onstage; the aural ramifications of Williams’s poetry to a now-visually-centered audience; stylistic elements similar to Williams’s contemporaries, including Rice, Brecht, O’Neill, and others; the delicacy of Williams’s signature meter and rhythm in his plays; dramaturgical groundwork in the playwright’s intentions; and a systemization of archetypical Williams characters. This thesis does not prescribe a cut-and-dried set of rules and regulations for performing Williams’s works, for the simple reason that the Williams canon is so diverse that no singular set of “tricks” will be effective in every play. Furthermore, the author understands that a producer, director, or actor will not find use in all facets of a rigid “system”. The thesis does outline a number of practices whose aims are to make productions more effective from an integral perspective. There are exercises to attempt, questions to pose, and matters to consider in the staging of Williams’s plays during any part of production—from in-class reading to designing the scenery, and from deciding why to put a Williams play in a season to the living moments of an actor’s performance. The thesis aims to be helpful, informative, and accessible, rather than doctrinaire: much like the playwright’s works, its purpose is to illuminate dark corners of something that viewers think they already fully understand.

Background: Current literature on caregivers of children with chronic illnesses and developmental disabilities primarily focuses on negative aspects of adjustment, with maternal stress and depression as common outcome variables (Duvdevany & Abboud, 2003; Shin and Crittenden, 2003). While these pediatric caregivers have been shown to struggle more than caregivers of typically developing children, the possibility of positive psychological outcomes from such an experience is only beginning to be explored (Kim, Greenberg, Seltzer & Krauss, 2003; Scallan, Senior & Reilly, 2010). One such positive outcome is the idea of Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), a construct for which a widely accepted theoretical model exists (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004). This model has yet to be empirically validated and fails to provide an exhaustive picture of PTG. The current study aims to document this phenomenon among caregivers of children with Williams, empirically evaluate a portion of the proposed theoretical model, and explore possible extensions of the model in the form of health behaviors. Methods: Participants included 104 primary caregivers of children with Williams syndrome who were recruited through the Williams Syndrome Association List serve. Caregivers completed an online survey through SurveyMonkey software that included the posttraumatic growth inventory, the deliberate rumination scale, the MOS social support survey, and the taking care of yourself questionnaire. Results: The vast majority of caregivers reported some degree of growth following a diagnosis of Williams syndrome (M =55.91, SD =22.63), consistent with reports of other pediatric caregivers (Polantinsky & Esprey, 2000). Further, perceived social support was found to predict posttraumatic growth, F(2,73) = 2.488, p=.029, consistent with model predictions. However, perceived social support was not predictive of an increase in deliberate rumination, F(2,72) = 0.143, p=.867, failing to support the mediational model. Finally, posttraumatic growth was not found to predict health behaviors, although those caregivers who reported more posttraumatic growth also reported being less bothered by sleep-related caregiving burdens. Conclusion: Posttraumatic growth is prevalent among Williams syndrome caregivers, indicating the need for future research in facilitating this process among pediatric caregivers and patients alike. Further, a better understanding of the cognitive constructs involved in the posttraumatic growth process is essential. This improved understanding will facilitate more accurate measurement tools for evaluating these cognitive processes along with additional clarity with regards to the theoretical model. Finally, the identification of health behaviors and health belief constructs that are impacted by posttraumatic growth would improve the depth of the theoretical model and improve overall understanding of the construct.

This Diploma thesis focuses on the investigation of impact of French Revolution into the development of political views of three Englishmen who represent three levels of view of revolutionary events: idealistic, radical and critical. Helen Maria Williams (1761-1827) represents an idealistic school of thought especially within the idea on universal citizenship and messianism of French Revolution. Simultaneously, she also represents some opinions of female population and their expectations relating to the status of women. Thomas Paine (1737-1809), a member of Convention and a supporter of the Girondists is an example of a radical religious view. The last of the trio is a physiocrat and a writer Arthur Young (1741-1820) who visited France before the Revolution. He became a witness and also a critic of the early revolutionary events. Key Words Helen Maria Williams, Thomas Paine, Arthur Youn, The French Revolution.

Den här uppsatsen kommer att behandla fenomenet moralisk slump (moral luck). Uppsatsen är till största del av undersökande karaktär och till dels av argumenterande karaktär. Uppsatsen huvudfrågor är vad moralisk slump är för någonting, vad det finns för olika typer av respons kring problemet med moralisk slump och slutligen vad jag anser är den mest trovärdiga lösningen på problemet med moralisk slump. Uppsatsen utgångspunkt ligger I Nagels och Williams berömda artiklar som anses vara startskottet för den moderna debatten angående moralisk slump, även om området i sig har diskuterats sen länge. Utifrån detta undersöks flera olika teorier i detalj som fungerar som svar på framför allt den utmaning som Nagel målade upp i sin artikel. Svaren som redogörs för kan kategoriseras i två breda kategorier, de som förnekar att slumpen kan orsaka en moralisk skillnad och de som accepterar slumpens betydelse för moral.

Novel: You & I. 'You & I' is a coming-of-age tale tied up in the themes of trauma, memory and storytelling. It follows sixteen-year-old Esther, who is sent to live on the fictional Cornish island of Little Wimbish following the disappearance of her bipolar mother. Once on the island where her mother grew up, the damaged and reclusive Esther finds herself caught up in the lives, history and folklore of the Wimbish community - not to mention the mystery of her father's identity. As the story progresses and Esther becomes more invested in the fairy tale escapes promised by the island she now calls home, the voice switches back and forth between the second and first person - and we begin to suspect that our narrator may have inherited her mother's illness. This is a novel concerned with how we tell stories - about ourselves, our histories, and the places we live - and why. Essay: The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Turning Trauma into Narrative in Anne Enright's The Gathering, Niall Williams' History of the Rain, and John Banville's The Sea. How do we recover from trauma, and what role can storytelling play in the recovery process? This essay investigates the notion that in Anne Enright's The Gathering, Niall Williams' History of the Rain and John Banville's The Sea, each narrator carries out an attempt at recovery, enacted through a written recollection of their past traumas. Taking inspiration from various trauma theorists and psychologists, along with writer and trauma survivor Edward St Aubyn, this essay lays out the necessary steps which must be taken in order to integrate trauma into one's life story. By writing down their trauma, constructing a narrative which allows for a certain amount of invention, facing up to the dirtier and more difficult aspects of their experiences, and finally, sharing the finished narrative with another person, the trauma survivor may facilitate the beginnings of a recovery.

Raymond Williams é um autor conhecido por seus trabalhos sobre cultura, mas não só por isso. Ele também é conhecido por ser um dos fundadores da chamada Nova esquerda Inglesa, por ser um dos fundadores da disciplina Estudos Culturais e por ser um dos maiores críticos de tradição literária do século XX. Seu trabalho, contudo, sua obra ainda é pouco estudada na área da educação. Portanto, levando em conta esse fato, construímos esta dissertação, optando pela pesquisa bibliográfica, a qual nos ajudou a responder nossa questão: de que forma o autor Raymond Williams se faz presente em pesquisas na área de Fundamentos da Educação? Tivemos como objetivo, trazer as reflexões acerca do modo como Williams e, sobretudo, seus conceitos ligados ao seu materialismo cultural estão sendo tratados em pesquisas em educação na área dos fundamentos da Educação. Analisamos, então, cinco trabalhos que foram selecionados de acordo com alguns critérios. A análise foi dividida em duas etapas: a primeira, na qual foi feito um breve resumo das obras selecionadas e a segunda etapa, na qual foram feitas, por meio de blocos conceituais, as análises de cada conceito, reportado a Williams, contido nas obras. Dentre os textos analisados, nos deparamos com trabalhos que somente citaram o autor, utilizando-se apenas de alguma definição que lhes ajudassem com determinado assunto; trabalhos que faziam uma apropriação bastante superficial e utilizam alguns elementos do autor, mas não se aprofundaram em seus pressupostos; e trabalhos que conseguiram se aprofundar mais nas obras do autor, utilizando-se de diversos de seus conceitos. Ao concluir esta dissertação, esperamos ter contribuído um pouco para o avanço nas contribuições que se referem a Raymond Williams e sua presença, ainda que tímida, na pesquisa em fundamentos da educação. / Raymond Williams is an author known for his work on culture, but not only for that. He is also known for being one of the founders of the so-called New English Left, for being one of the founders of the Cultural Studies discipline and for being one of the greatest critics of literary tradition of the twentieth century. His work, however, his work is still little studied in the area of education. So, taking this fact into account, we constructed this dissertation, opting for bibliographic research, which helped us answer our question: How does author Raymond Williams become present in researches in the area of Fundamentals of Education? We have aimed to bring the reflections about how Williams and, above all, his concepts related to his cultural materialism are being treated in research in education in the area of the fundamentals of Education. We then analyzed five papers that were selected according to some criteria. The analysis was divided into two stages: the first, in which a brief summary of the selected works was made and the second stage, in which the analyzes of each concept, reported to Williams, contained in the works. Among the texts analyzed, we come across works that only cite the author, using only some definition that would help them with a certain subject; Works that made a rather superficial appropriation and used some elements of the author, but did not deepen in their presuppositions; And works that have been able to delve deeper into the author's works, using several of his concepts. In concluding this text, we hope to have contributed a bit to the for advancement in contributions that relate to Raymond Williams and his presence, albeit timid, in the research on fundamentals of education.

This is a qualitative study that takes a close look at an exemplary performing group, the Brigham Young University Singers. Using the methods of phenomenology and naturalistic inquiry, the author presents a rich, thick description of the daily activities and unique culture of the choir. Both strengths and weaknesses of the group are identified so that others can have an authentic, vicarious experience through reading the Singers' story. The author also identifies seven principles that contribute to the success of the group so that other choral conductors can adapt them to their own unique situations. Educators in all disciplines can benefit from a deeper understanding of this model community of learners.

This dissertation describes a method for constructing a religious environmental ethic modeled on the spiritual practice of lectio divina, or devotional reading. Lectio divina is an explicitly religious way of reading, distinguished from other modes of reading not by what is read--even sacred scriptures can be read for mastery of content, for entertainment, etc.--but by how it is read. In lectio divina, the reader engages the text with a willingness to be transformed by an encounter with the sacred, mediated somehow by the text. This vulnerability is inherent in a religious reading, as is the intimacy implicit in the repeated engagement with the text that is central to the practice of lectio divina. The emphasis on vulnerability and intimacy marks this religious approach to environmental ethics as a form of virtue ethics. Consistent with the traditional insight conveyed by the two-books metaphor, whereby Christians believed God was revealed both in the Book of Scripture and the Book of Nature, I map the classic stages of lectio divina onto a reading not of scripture but of the natural world. Paying attention requires careful observation, the naming and description of relevant details, and awareness and articulation of emotional responses as one repeatedly visits natural settings. Pondering requires a willingness to enter deeply into the religious, scientific, and other sources that help us understand the natural world and our place within it, as well as a willingness to reflect critically upon those sources. Responding calls upon readers of nature to take definite actions that flow out of the previous stages of paying attention and pondering, utilizing knowledge born of familiarity to address environmental challenges while also protecting natural settings in which the unnamable sacred can be encountered. Surrendering involves acknowledging human limits of understanding, will, and action, and nonetheless finding rest and restoration by trusting in some force beyond the merely human. I illustrate this argument with interpretations of literary works by Terry Tempest Williams, thereby asserting the relevance of religiosity to human transformation and to efforts to imaginatively embody human-land relationships that further human and ecological flourishing.

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The submission focuses on the performance of violin works that incorporate elements of folk music. It investigates some of the ways in which traditional folk melodies are utilised in violin repertoire and considers the implications for performance. It recognises that when performing music inspired by folk idioms the classical violinist often needs to adopt a different set of technical and musical objectives relevant to the cultural origin of the work. The submission takes the form of two CD recordings with a supporting exegesis. The exegesis discusses those aspects of the performances that stem from the cultural traditions to which the repertoire is related. Due to the broad nature of this topic my investigation was confined to selected works that stemmed from English and Hungarian traditional music. The exegesis examines the relevance of the research and the application of these discoveries in performance. The main focus is the incorporation of traditional Hungarian characteristics in the performance of Bartók’s Rhapsody No 2 for Violin and Piano, and Kodály’s Duo for Violin and Violoncello, Op 7. Discussion then moves to Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending and the differences required to recreate the sound of the traditional English fiddler. / Thesis (M.Mus.) -- University of Adelaide, Elder Conservatorium of Music, 2007